Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Pushback: Book One
Written by: A.J. Lieberman
Penciled by: Al Barrionuevo
Inked by: Francis Portela
Colored by: Noelle Giddings with Heroic Age
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Assistant Editor: Nachie Castro
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics
Keep those changes coming…
Most of the Batman Family of titles have seen a variety of creative changes in the last year or two. The three core titles (Batman, Detective Comics, and Gotham Knights) have seen the greatest shakeups though. Detective Comics is still in a bit of flux only recently getting a new regular team after Ed Brubaker’s sudden departure. Since Batman is going with a rotating-team-approach following the successful “HUSH†storyline, the only book that maintained creator stability in the past six months was Gotham Knights. Of course, with this issue that all changed.
The “HUSH†storyline, which recently concluded in the pages of Batman, was an epic that weaved in all manner of characters from the Batman mythos. It was grand and maybe even a touch bloated, but it was fun superhero action. Since that storyline, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso have taken over on Batman and turned in a dark, gritty, true crime story that more fits the usual tone of Detective Comics. Gotham Knights has always looked more deeply into the lives of the entire Batman Family, so the big superhero vs. supervillain battles have been missing, to some extent, in the core Batman books, since the end of “HUSH.â€
Too soon, but so good!
Scott Beatty and Roger Robinson departing Gotham Knights is really disappointing. They were turning in some really strong work. A great deal of the last two years of GK has focused on Bane. Building up this already well defined character far beyond previous expectations ever would imagine possible. Yet, all good things must come to an end.
When A.J. Lieberman was announced as the new writer for Gotham Knights I was very pleased. The only work of the former MTV scribe I had read was his run on Harley Quinn. Lieberman’s direction darkened the comic a bit too much for most fans standards, and the title lost a lot of readership. What many fans missed was a comic that continued to improve, and served to cast a one-dimensional villain into a multi-faceted character.
While we were losing Beatty as writer, I felt that Lieberman was potentially a very good replacement. When it was announced that the book would take a very villain-centric turn I was again thrilled. Much like Geoff Johns has reinvigorated the Rogues Gallery in the pages of Flash, Batman’s villains could always use more opportunity to run amok. The only problem was that the main adversary was going to be the villain Hush. Yes, that Hush.
I still think it’s a mistake to bring the villain from the highly acclaimed “HUSH†storyline back so quickly, but I have no control over that. As the first issue turns out it looks to be an inspired choice. Once again Hush is planning something big, but this time he’s on his own, and looking to settle up a score. Several more of Batman’s favorite foes show up this month as well. Including the beginnings of what could be one of the most stunning revelations to an age-old mystery of the comic business.
Stacking the deck for success.
Not only does Lieberman weave a fun, action packed storyline, but he’s also got Batman and his alter-ego down pat. It’s nice to see a little fun with the Bruce Wayne character and a little more of a James Bond style approach to him. The scenes featuring the Bat are stunning, allowing the caped crusader to show his stuff both physically and mentally. Lieberman’s got a firm handle on Batman and his villains already. It’s going to be very interesting to see where he goes with it.
I was probably one of Roger Robinson’s biggest fans. I fell in love with his renditions of Batman and the entire supporting cast. He was with the both as regular artist for more than 40 issues and brought the wonderful scripts of Devin Grayson and Scott Beatty to life month after month. To say that I was unhappy to see him go would be an understatement.
Another understatement would be that Al Barrionuevo and Francis Portela did a good job on their first issue as the new art team. This is dynamite artwork! While reading you can’t help but be sucked into the world of Batman. The panel layouts are perfection and the action sequences amazing. I’m gushing here, because this is utterly superb artwork!
This comic really came up and bit me on the ass. I only glanced at the preview inserted into DC books a couple of months back. I hate to have my surprise ruined. Man, I am thrilled that I didn’t look too closely. If I realized then, just how good this storyline was going to be, I may not have made it until the release. Of course now I’m going to have to wait another month for an issue! Drat!
